All About How You're Remembered
by LoveChilde
Summary: In the future, Alex wants to be remembered as the sane one. AlexAddie friendship, early season 3


Joe's was really, really busy that night. That was the only reason Addison only looked up briefly from her drink, and didn't think it all that strange when Alex Karev sat down at her table.

"Dr. Montgomery."

"Dr. Karev." She studied him through lowered lashes. Looked straight out of the hospital, as exhausted as she was. He'd been running after Mark all day, probably. A beer in his hand, which didn't surprise her. He'd struck her as the type to avoid fancy drinks, or anything too strong. What little gossip she'd heard about him and the few things he'd let slip gave her enough to guess why, too. "Long day?" Hers had been.

"Had longer." He shrugged. "Figured I'd unwind a bit before heading home." He gave her an odd look. "You're not gonna make me move?"

"You're not bothering me." She explained, smiling faintly, "and the bar's pretty full. You're not sitting with the others?" He tilted her head towards the other interns, clustered around a table across the room. His expression closed up.

"Like you said, the place is pretty full." As if that was any explanation at all. He didn't even look in their direction. "You driving home?" She had one empty shot glass on the table, and was working her way through a second.

"Nope. And this is my last anyway. The hangover's not worth it." No, she'd gotten over the urge to get drunk and stay drunk a few weeks back, and now it was purely social. Antisocial, maybe, as she'd been sitting alone. Alex nodded, and Addison went back to not really paying him any attention, lost in her own thoughts. They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Addison was almost done with her second drink, when Alex spoke again.

"Just so you know? I'd totally be hitting on you now, but-"

"Excuse me?" Addie didn't let him finish, looking up with surprise and the beginning of anger. "Dr. Karev, that's highly inappropriate."

He blew a raspberry and grinned. "Yeah, 'cause 'inappropriate' has really stopped people around here before. All I'm saying is, you're a damn hot woman and I'd go for you in a heartbeat. But I'm not gonna."

"Really?' Addie's lips curled up in a smile against her will as anger changed into amusement. "And why is that, if I may ask? Afraid of Derek?"

"You kidding? I've seen the man throw a punch. I could take him without breaking a sweat. No, it's not that." He looked evasive for a moment, then chuckled. "In every year, there's the intern who scores with a superior. It's a tradition, see?" Addie nodded, familiar with the story, and he continued. "I was planning on being that intern, 'cause I figure I wouldn't exactly be remembered for surgical brilliance considering the competition." He sipped his beer. "But now, if I mess around with a superior I'll be yet another intern who does it, which won't be cool at all. Since the others are all doing it, and will be remembered for it, I guess I should at least try to be remembered as the one who stayed professional." He put the glass down. "Just so's you know."

"Professional, huh?" Addie smirked. "And that thing with the nurse and the syphilis?"

"Eh, blown over and forgotten in favor of bigger drama." Alex waved it off. "I don't normally have that much self control, and I didn't want you to feel like you're not worth hitting on, 'cause you totally are, but I'm not gonna do it." He sat back with a confident, satisfied smirk.

"And here I was starting to think people were wrong to call you a jackass. You could've said you wouldn't hit on my out of professional respect, or because you'd rather not treat women as sexual objects." But Addie was still grinning, feeling her depression lifting with every teasing word. Alex snorted.

"And you'd have believed me? I don't lie to people. I'd have done you in a heartbeat, but I don't wanna get stuck in the same mess as Grey. One's enough, two's way too much, three's a joke." O'Malley and that ortho attending chick. "Four would just be sad. Or worse, ignored." Clearly, that bothered him more than anything else. He nodded once, secure that he'd made his case.

"Well, I think I'll take it as a compliment, backhanded though it is." Addison shook her head, put Alex back in the 'incorrigible' category in her mind, and put her empty shot glass down. "And I also think I'm gonna head home now. Thank you, Dr. Karev, for clearing that point up." She stood up.

"My pleasure." This time it was a definite leer. "Oh, by the way." He turned serious for just a moment. "I do respect you professionally. And personally. You're more than just hot. And I may be the only man in this hospital except maybe Burke who won't be trying to get into your pants in some way or another."

"So…What are you saying?" She leaned both hands on the table and looked down at him. "That we can be- friends?"

He scowled. "Friends. O'Malley must be rubbing off on me if I think I can be just friends with a woman. But yeah, that's what I'm saying." The look he gave her was almost hopeful, and quite adorable. "We can be friends."

"I suppose we can." She felt warmth spread down her middle. A friend would be nice. "Very well. Friends, Dr. Karev."

"Alex."

"Alex. I'll see you tomorrow, Alex?"

"That you will, Addison." He grinned and drained his beer, deciding he could celebrate with a second one. Wasn't every day he gained a friend. As he watched Addison leave, thinking appreciatively that not every friend had legs up to there, and that hell, he wouldn't be an intern forever. Yeah, it was good to have friends.


End file.
